observe

Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

transitive v. To be or become aware of, especially through careful and directed attention; notice.

transitive v. To watch attentively: observe a child's behavior.

transitive v. To make a systematic or scientific observation of: observe the orbit of the moon.

transitive v. To say casually; remark.

transitive v. To adhere to or abide by: observe the terms of a contract.

transitive v. To keep or celebrate (a holiday, for example): observe an anniversary.

intransitive v. To take notice.

intransitive v. To say something; make a comment or remark.

intransitive v. To watch or be present without participating actively: We were invited to the conference solely to observe.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

v. To notice or view, especially carefully or with attention to detail.

v. To follow the custom, practice, or rules (especially of a religion.)

v. To comment on something; to make an observation.

v. To obey a law, rule or custom; comply with.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English

intransitive v. To take notice; to give attention to what one sees or hears; to attend.

intransitive v. To make a remark; to comment; to make an observation{3}; -- generally with on or upon.

transitive v. To take notice of by appropriate conduct; to conform one's action or practice to; to keep; to heed; to obey; to comply with

transitive v. To be on the watch respecting; to pay attention to; to notice with care; to see; to perceive; to notice; to discover

transitive v. To express as what has been noticed; to utter as a remark; to say in a casual or incidental way; to remark.

from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

To regard with attention or careful scrutiny, as for the purpose of discovering and noting something; watch; take note of: as, to observe trifles with interest; to observe one's every movement.

Specifically To subject to systematic inspection and scrutiny for some scientific or practical purpose: as, to observe natural phenomena for the purpose of ascertaining their laws; to observe meteorological indications for the purpose of forecasting the weather. See observation, 3.

Examples

You are now on the second speed, which you will no doubt observe is considerably faster than the lower speed … Remember that with a motor-car the driver controls the vehicle, and in this it differs from a horse-drawn vehicle, in which the driver is often at the mercy of the animal, to be pulled here, backed there, or upset altogether, should this chance to please the noble quadruped.

There is a whole category of ersatz adults who've mistaken the apparent staidness of the grownups (who they observe from the outside) for the qualifying characteristic of adulthood and tried to skip the scary merry-go-round.

"Quite often in mainstream schools, classroom assistants and teachers can do too much for a child – known as the Velcro effect – when in reality it might be better to stand back and observe from a distance and support the child in a different way."